


All That Remains

by FriendOfTheFugitive



Series: Love In Kirkwall, Of All Places [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Act 2, All That Remains, Angst, F/M, Spoilers, light fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-08
Updated: 2015-06-08
Packaged: 2018-04-03 11:09:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4098829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FriendOfTheFugitive/pseuds/FriendOfTheFugitive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I decided to write a fleshed out version of the quest "All That Remains", I also added what I would have liked to happen when Fenris came to comfort Hawke at the end of the quest. Major spoilers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All That Remains

**Author's Note:**

> Random, but the song "Dressed In Black" by SIA is my favorite song for Fenris and Hawke, check it out ^~^ As always, thanks for reading! :)

_"Fenris!"_ Hawke's panicked cry echoed around his crumbly mansion. It was the type of cry he had only hoped he would hear in his nightmares, but this was real. The elf shot up off his chair and ran to the banister outside his room. His sword was readied, and his lyrium markings flared to life. He was ready to defend Hawke with unyielding ferocity.

"Mother is missing, I need you." Her voice shook with an emotion that seemed to be a mix of hatred and fear. Fenris did not question her, and he was not surprised when she turned after speaking and ran out the mansion. He followed quickly, his bare feet padding against the tiles as he ran to keep up.

Fenris also did not dwell too long at the fact that she said 'I need _you'_ and not 'I need your _help'_. It had been seven months since that night he left, Hawke continued to act as if everything was normal between them, like that night never happened. The way she called to him, however, made it seem like the two had been together forever.

"Gamlen said he was going to check Lowtown, we should start there." Hawke sped walked through Hightown. Her mind was reeling with the horrid thoughts of where her mother could be. Her voice was strained and her words were unfocused like she wasn't actually there at all.

Fenris was at her heels, his own eyes were locked on Hawke. The undeniable urge to protect her surged through his veins. He was so distracted with Hawke's new issue that he did not notice Varric and Aveline following a few inches away on either side of him. Once the elf did notice this, however, he understood the situation was more dire than he originally thought. Hawke knew something that her closest friends didn't, and this made Fenris on edge.

"Are we sure Leandra didn't just sneak away for a drink? Being nobility all the time would sure give me the thirst." Varric attempted to soothe Hawke's nerves as they neared the gate to Lowtown. In truth, Varric didn't want to think about the thought of losing the woman who raised Hawke. Leandra had become a mother to all of Hawke's companions, even Fenris was pleasant towards her.

"Isabela is waiting at the Hanged Man." Hawke answered quickly, there was a twinge of hope in her voice at the possibility of Varric being correct.

They entered the gate to Lowtown. Gamlen's angry voice caught all of their attention. A youthful voice argued back, asking what was in it for him if he cooperated.

Fenris wanted to grip the Urchin boy by the heart and demand he give up the information on what he saw, but Hawke had another (more diplomatic) method to going about things. "Take these silvers and buy yourself something to eat--and a new pair of shoes." Her voice was gentle, but it wasn't hard to miss her tight posture.

The boy examined the coin in awe. Both of his eyes widened, despite the ailment of a black eye. "That's real silver! I saw the women you are talking about, she was walking and a man, who was covered in blood, collapsed at her feet like he was dead. She went to help him, I think he said "help" and then she took him away. There is blood on the ground from him over there, I think." He tucked the silver in his pocket as he examined his audience.

Fenris glanced around frantically for a blood trail. Aveline was the first one to spot it. She walked over to it and knelt down next to the droplets. "Hawke." She stood and looked towards her friend.

Hawke acknowledged Aveline with a short head nod before she turned back to the Urchin. "What did he look like?" Hawke's gut twisted at the question she asked. If it was Gascard Dupuis who did this, Hawke would never forgive herself for letting him go so easily.

The boy looked hesitant for a moment, as if he was going to ask for more coin, but the glare he received from the tattooed elf stopped him cold. "He looked like-- _a man_. He was covered in blood, I couldn't really see his face." He shrugged.

Gamlen let out a frustrated sigh to which Hawke reassured him, "I'll destroy anyone who touches a hair on her head." She practically snarled the words. Gamlen flinched at her intensity.

"Yes--you are good at that. I'll wait at home in case she comes back." Gamlen rubbed his head. Hawke turned away, but Gamlen spoke again, his voice pleading, "Find her, Hawke."

Hawke nodded and went over to the start of the blood trail. Her friends were all searching the area, looking for the damnable crimson drops that indicated nothing but the confirmation of their worst fears.

"Here." Fenris said in a gruff tone, Hawke kneeled next to it and dipped her finger into one of the drops.

Her heart dropped. "It's fresh. Where is he taking her..." She stood and searched the ground diligently for other droplets.

"Hawke, here."

"Found another."

"The trail goes this way."

The trail led to the foundry. Aveline, Varric and Fenris exchanged knowing glances. This was where they investigated all those years back for Ninett. Hawke lead them through the door and she stopped once inside. Her friends feared that she went into shock, but they relaxed when she spoke. "This looks familiar..."

Varric wasn't going to be the one to bring it up, afraid of his friend's unstable state. Aveline didn't want to be the one to put more foundation under her friend's fears. Fenris, even though he knew he shouldn't had, spoke up, "This is where you found Ninett's severed hand." He had no doubt in Hawke's strength in situations such as this, but his wording of the information was brutal.

Hawke felt like a dagger was turning in her gut. "What does he want with her?" She asked rhetorically before she took off in a hurried stride. She went up stairs and entered one of the many rooms. "Spread out, I _must_ have missed something before."

The companions did as they were told.

Varric was the one who found the trap door that lead under the foundry. Varric called his companions over, and once they arrived, he took the opportunity to crack a joke, “Someone forgot to cover their trap door this time.” When no one responded, he shifted uncomfortably. The group was too on edge to respond.

Hawke lifted the latch and opened the door with a shaky hand. “She must be down there. _With him_.”

Fenris kneeled down next to her, his rough hand covered hers. The shakiness she once held was subdued, but she did not look his way. Aveline went down first, Varric followed. “We’ll find her.” The elf whispered in a soothing tone. He removed his hand and he leaped down into the opening, not even bothering to use the latter. His hands were around his sword within seconds of his feet touching the ground. If it was a mage they were dealing with, he had no doubt that they would put up defenses.

Aveline was ready to catch Hawke if she slid off the latter. This state of panic had Hawke balancing precariously on the tip of a blade. If she fell too far to her left, rage and vengeance would consume her. If she fell too far to her right, the utter grief she felt would tear her apart. Her friends knew this, so all of them were keeping a closer eye on Hawke.

Hawke reached the bottom without incident and she lead them onwards without any sort of hesitation in her step. Her mind was focused on finding her mother. When a group of Shades and a Rage Demon sprang from the ground to greet them, Hawke took the opportunity to unleash her pent up frustration on not being able to get to her mother.

Varric launched a cascade of arrows from Bianca that rained down on the Demons. Fenris dodged the arrows with swift precision. His blade sliced easily through the Rage Demon’s fiery flesh. The Demon shrieked at the attack and a fireball seared past Fenris’s body. Fenris countered with a deep jab to the Demon’s gut, he twisted the blade and then yanked it across the middle. The Rage Demon cried out an ear shattering screech before it melted back into whatever part of the Fade it crawled out of. It was then Fenris noticed Hawke.

The Champion had leaped onto one of the Shades. Her daggers plunged into its head as a frustrated scream tore from her throat. She dragged the daggers from it’s head all the way down it’s back. Once the blades hit the ground, Hawke was already moving on to her next victim. A Shade had clawed at her armor, scratching the medal. Hawke whipped around, slicing her blades cleanly through the Shade’s dark flesh. Her intense green eyes flared with a furry that Fenris had never witnessed before. Within seconds of the attack, it was over.

Aveline couldn’t even get one hit in.

The group sheathed their weapons in unison and Hawke began to search the area. Her gut dropped when she saw a female figure lying on a table that was crowded by boxes and discarded notes. “Mother!” Hawke cried as she raced towards the table.

Hawke placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder and gently turned her over. She mentally prepared to see her mother’s lifeless face stare back at her, but was silently relieved when she barely recognized the face. “Oh Alessa…” She gasped as she took a few steps back.

“This man is…” Aveline was reading a discarded note that was laying on the table. “Used quicklime to preserve her feet. Unsure whether texture of the skin is to my liking. Will try other methods.” She read the note aloud and then looked towards Hawke.

Fenris lifted Alessa’s dress slightly, “Her feet are gone.” He spoke in a grim tone as he let go of the bloodied fabric. His eyes fell on Hawke’s shaking hands as she attempted to regain her composure.

“I’ve heard of a foot fetish, but not one that extreme.” Varric murmured, a few feet away from the group. He was keeping guard, and he didn’t do well when faced with bodily mutilations that were done to the innocent.

Hawke tightened her hands into fists as she moved on from the scene. When they turned the corner, a horrible stench hit them. “What’s the smell?” She didn’t need an answer. They were all familiar with the dark scent of death. Hawke’s mind was circling around one thought, Mother is dead.

She didn’t realize she had completely froze in place until a worn hands curled gently around her fists, which were pulled against her stomach like she was trying to keep herself from heaving. Fenris didn’t speak when Hawke looked at him. His mossy eyes were encouraging, but also cautious. He tightened his jaw before he dropped her hands, which had grown lax under his touch. He turned his body so he was no longer standing in front of her, allowing her to push on.

Aveline was bent over another note. She had only glanced at the exchange between Hawke and Fenris. This was no time to be angry at the elf for previous actions. Hawke was still deeply wounded by Fenris’s “aptitude for fleeing his feelings”, as Isabela put it. These gentle displays of affection could stir the hurt she was attempting to be rid of, and Aveline wanted to protect her friend from that. However, now was not the time to be picky. If Aveline was truly honest with herself, she knew that Hawke needed Fenris most at this moment, and the guardswoman was relieved to see he was delivering.

“I don’t think I want to know what this one says.” Varric was the one to break the silence as he walked over towards Aveline.

Aveline took it upon herself to read it outloud. “Mharen, it’s a pretty name. I saw her hands. Long, slender fingers. Fair skin--the hands of a lifelong scholar…” She stopped, disgust plastered on her face, “Oh, to lock my own clumsy fingers in hers again.” She stood, distancing herself from the disturbing paper. “Mharen was the mage who was taken from the circle, the one Emeric was originally searching for. What is he doing with these poor women…”

“I can’t wait for Bianca to meet him.” Varric said as walked over to Hawke, who was brushing some dirt along the ground. A silver chain glinted through the thin patch of dirt.

Hawke picked up the locket in a slow and steady movement. “I know this locket…” There was a hint of nostalgia in her voice before she cleaned more dirt off the charm with her thumb. “It belongs to Mother.” Her hand clamped around the locket in a sudden and vicious movement that made Varric, who was extremely close to her crouched body, flinch.

She stood with a new-found anger that was being coaxed by the intense urgency she felt. She climbed down the stairs, her body in complete control. Her raised shoulders and her long purposeful strides displayed her determination to find this monster. “Does he...live here?” The room had crates, bookshelves, a mess of notes and books that were piled in the center of the room, a hearth where a picture rested, chairs that were knocked over, and on the far wall was a rather extravagant bed.

“Shades!” Aveline warned the group as she slammed her shield into one of the Demons who rose from the ground. She leaned away from the Demon and then her sword cut right through its midsection, destroying the Shade.

Varric shot arrows into the Shades at a rapid pace, weakening the group as a whole. Once the corpses rose, he focused on taking those out while the rest of the group dealt with the Demons.

Fenris found himself surrounded. Attuning to his lyrium markings and ignoring the pain that it caused him, he unleashed a spirit pulse that pushed the Shades far enough away to allow him to maneuver without being overwhelmed.

Hawke was rolling around the battlefield, tearing down the Shades with quick slices of her daggers, and dodging any sort of blows the Shades could deliver. This tactic gave Fenris and Aveline the chance to deliver the final blows. It worked well enough.  

Once the threat was eliminated, they broke apart to search for any clues of Leandra. “What..is this?” Hawke was staring up at the painted portrait of a women that had a haunting resemblance to her mother.

“It looks like some sort of shrine.” Aveline offered an answer to Hawke. The flowers and candles that surrounded the small hearth gave this away.

“The woman in the painting...she almost looks like Mother.” Hawke verbalized her thoughts as fear washed over her and gave her nothing but more unanswered questions.

Fenris looked at Hawke, assessing her physical state. “This man is either very devoted or very insane.”

Hawke’s fingers curled into fists, the stress in her voice apparent to her friends, “I need to find her. Now.” She turned from the painting and began to advance through the room towards the large doorway on the far side of the room. She did not wish to thumb through the notes, but that didn’t stop Aveline from taking a peek.

What Aveline found was troubling. She eyed an open book and Fenris spoke from her side, “Necromancy. A dangerous thing.” He continued walking to be by Hawke’s side. Aveline shuddered at the thought. She spotted a letter that was from the Circle. The scrawl was familiar, but she couldn’t quite place the owner. The letter was praising the man who took Leandra, and it was signed with the letter ‘O’. Aveline took the letter and tucked it in her pocket. She glanced over another eerie note that revealed the woman in the portrait was the man’s wife. The guardswoman picked up her pace to follow Hawke. She vowed to look into the letter and into who sent it. If someone else was involved in this, Hawke would want to know.

Hawke climbed down another set of stairs and she raced towards the far end of the room. There was a man, kneeling by a chair and whispering sweet words to an unknown person. Corpses littered the ground, blood stained the wall. Against the wall was a table with a body lying under a white sheet. The body seemed to be missing it’s head. The man rose at their presence.

He smiled at Hawke. “I was wondering when you’d show up. Leandra was so sure you’d come for her.” His fingers brushed along the face of the person who was sitting in the chair.

“Where is she?!” Hawke demanded, stepping forward. Her arms were away from her body, ready to grab her daggers at any sign of danger.

The man’s kind smile turned to a wicked grin. When he began to speak, he circled around the chair to close distance between him and Hawke, “You will never understand my purpose. Your mother was chosen because she was special, and now she is part of something...greater.”

Hawke’s normal snarky remark was replaced with one of aggression, “Save me the demented rambling. Where is she?”

The insane man responded with another smile, “She’s here. She’s waiting for you.” He turned his attention towards the chair. “I have done the impossible. I have touched the face of the Maker and lived. Do you know what the strongest force in the universe is?” He turned away from Hawke and moved beside the chair. “Love.” He spoke in a light tone, like he was having morning tea with acquaintances. “I pieced her together from memory. I found her eyes, her skin, her delicate fingers…” He moved to the front of the chair, his hand reached for the woman’s chin, “And at last, her face...oh, this beautiful face.” His voice was dreamlike. The woman stood as he directed with his hand, “I’ve searched far and wide to find you again, beloved, and no force on this earth will part us.”

The woman walked in an unstable manner. She was wearing an old wedding dress, her grey hair was covered in a white veil. There were lines of stitches that covered where her limbs connected. The most prominent was on her neck. The eyes were glazed over and unfamiliar, but the face belonged to the one they were searching for. It was Leandra.

Hawke stared in utter horror. A lump formed in her throat as her heart shattered in her chest. Her mind went numb as did her being. Her jaw dropped as she remained locked in some sort of emotion she had no words for. It froze her at the core.

“Hawke!”

The ground stirred and corpses rose from beyond. They screamed and hissed pained cries as they surrounded the group. The mage had locked himself in an arcane shield, protecting himself from any direct attacks.

The group was already tearing down their opponents, each of them shouting Hawke’s name after each kill, trying to yank her out of this shocked state she remained in. Her eyes would not leave her mother’s face. Fenris was at her back, defeating any corpses or Shades that got near her. “Come back to me, Adria.” He spoke in a gruff voice as he jabbed his blade into another corpse that got too close.  

Varric shot a Desire Demon in the forehead, destroying the foul creature. He continued to fire off arrows into Shades and corpses. He was relieved when he saw Hawke shredding through opponents with intense ferocity. She wasn’t trying to weaken anyone. She was out for blood.

Aveline bashed her shield across another Desire Demon’s head. The Desire Demon shrieked and blasted Aveline away from her. Aveline was sent flying across the room. She quickly got back to her feet, ready to take down the Desire Demon, but Hawke had beaten her to it. Hawke twisted her blade into the Desire Demon’s neck, ending her permanently.

“Cover me.” Hawke demanded as the mage took down his shield. She took deliberate strides over to him, completely ignoring the chaos that continued around her. Her friends created a choke point behind Hawke, guarding her from any advancing Shades that were left.

The mage was readying a spell, but Hawke was quicker to strike. She plunged both of her daggers into his abdominal. Hawke drove him backwards into the wall by the hilts. She twisted the blades, jamming them deeper into his flesh. Blood poured from his mouth as he gasped. His eyes met Hawke’s, and Hawke returned the smile he gave her earlier. “Tell the Maker I said ‘hi’.” She ripped the daggers sideway, creating a new horizontal exit path out of his stomach. She nearly tore him in half.

Breathing heavily, she turned and saw that a corpse had gotten past the choke point. She flung her dagger into his skull, ending the battle that had ensued. The corpse fell to the ground, and she walked over to retrieve her dagger. The bloodlust that had consumed her was fading, whatever caused her to snap into such violent actions was receding. She yanked the dagger from his skull, flicked off the loose drops of blood from the blade and then tucked it back into its sheath on her back.

When she turned, she saw her mother wobbling over to her. “Mother!” She ran to meet her, just in time to catch her weak body from smacking into the ground. Hawke lowered herself onto her knees, taking Leandra with her. Her mother was resting on Hawke’s thighs, and Hawke was cradling her head and curling over her as she choked back tears. Hawke took the hand that didn’t belong to her mother.

“I knew you would come.” Leandra spoke softly, her eyes were unfocused.

“Don’t move, Mother. We’ll find a way too…” Hawke’s voice was shaking.

“ _Shh_ , don’t fret, darling.” Leandra soothed, “That man would have kept me trapped here. But now..I’m free. I get to see Carver and Bethany again...and your father. But you’ll be all alone.”

Hawke couldn’t help but let out a small laugh through the lump in her throat, her mother would be worried about Hawke in the moments before her death. “Don’t worry about me, mother. I’ll be fine.” A tear rolled down her cheek.

“My little girl has become so strong. I love you. You’ve always made me so proud.” There was a smile on her pale lips before Leandra’s eyes went cold. Her head rolled back, and her body became limp in Hawke’s arms.

Hawke clutched her mother’s body close to her chest. Her eyes were wound shut, tears rolled freely from her cheeks onto her mother’s face. “Mother?” She willed her mother to respond, just to hear her voice once more. Hawke’s world was spinning out of control once again. Her body shook with unquieted sobs. “ _Mother!_ ” Hawke screamed in pure agony as she shook her mother’s body gently. This was real, and it was unbearable. Pain rolled through Hawke without restriction.

Varric’s head was dropped. A single tear rolled down his cheek and he let it fall, not caring if anyone saw. The dwarf was angry that he hadn’t looked deeper into this when Hawke originally brought up Ninett’s disappearance.

Aveline mourned for her friend with a quiet stare. Her green eyes were filled with sorrow and regret. She blamed herself for not believing Emeric sooner, for getting Hawke involved with this in the first place.

 **  
** Fenris saw Hawke’s uncharacteristic killing of the mage. He did not blame her for wanting to give him a gruesome death. Fenris understood that blind rage. The exchange between her and her mother left him with feelings of grief. When Hawke began to sob and cry out her mother’s name, Fenris was left in silent agony. Each sob she produced was like a hammer to his heart. To see her like that...Fenris reached out to her, his fingertips were a hair away from landing on her shoulder, but something stopped him. His hand paused in midair, and he could feel Aveline and Varric’s eyes cut into him, wondering what he would do next. Going against his better judgment, Fenris curled his fingers towards his palm and dropped his hand back at his side. His head bowed in shame as he continued to listen to Hawke’s agonized sobs.

 

* * *

 It had been three weeks since the death of Hawke’s mother. Fenris was growing concerned when he had no word from her. He had debated constantly if he should go and see her, to comfort her in this time of grief. He argued that he would probably be the last person she would want to see, but he also argued that the best thing to do for her would to be by her side. To provide her footing when she had none.

Fenris was hunched over a book, attempting to unscramble the words with growing frustration. Hawke had gone over this with him multiple times, but Fenris had yet to complete grasp the concept of reading. He never knew how difficult it could be. Fenris could learn a language in less then three months if he really worked at it, but reading was an obstacle that he simply had trouble getting past. Even though it frustrated him, it distracted him from the memory of Hawke in her despair.

The sound of his front door opening ripped him from his book. He grabbed his sword and ran to the banister, Fenris would not be caught off guard. However, when he saw Aveline standing at the center of the main room, he leaned his weapon on the banister.

Aveline looked angry. Her glare was stern. _“Who do you think you are?”_ Her voice was tight with anger.

Fenris looked confused, “I’m...sorry?”

Aveline kept her composure, her words were sharp like daggers, “Hawke has been holed up in her bedroom for a month. Bodahn said she barely gets up to eat among other things. All of us have attempted to speak to her, to get through to her, to try and convince her to get up and going, _except for you_. You know as well as I that you’ll the only one who she’ll listen to. Hawke is stubborn, but so are you.” She pointed her finger at him, her eyes blazing with furry.

Fenris was taken aback by her words. He knew it was bad, but he didn’t think she was this swept away by her loss. He beat himself up internally, of course she was this bad. She lost every member of her family, except for Gamlen (who wasn’t much of a keeper), she was alone. She needed him, and he failed her once again. “I will go and see her.” He finally said.

“Good.” Aveline said before she turned and left the mansion.

Fenris left the mansion promptly after her, not bothering to put on his armor.

He was inside her estate within two minutes flat, a record time for him. “She’s in her room, please help her messere.” Bodahn spoke softly as he gestured up the stairs. Fenris nodded at his plea before he made his way up the stairs. Memories of that night they shared together flooded him. He was staring at the same door he walked out of so many nights ago. A lump formed in his throat as he knocked gently on the door.

There was no answer.

He turned the knob and entered quietly, closing the door behind him. Hawke was laying face down on her bed. The blanket pooled around her waist and covered her legs. Her hair was messy and it hung over her eyes more than usual. Her arms were wrapped around the pillow that Fenris had once laid on.

He made his way across the room quietly. He was standing by the side of her bed, and with a controlled movement, he sat on the edge. She didn’t move. Fenris gently pushed a lock of stray hair out of her eyes. She looked at him, her eyes were puffy and red. Her cheeks were stained from the tears. “I am here.” He whispered.

Hawke sat up and moved to wrap her arms around him. One arm was draped over his shoulder and the other curled around his bent elbow. She clutched onto the back of his tunic, her body was still, too weak to cry or shake.

Fenris pulled her in without hesitation. His hand was at the back of her head, keeping her close. She nuzzled deep into his neck, hiding her face. His other arm was wrapped around her side, his hand on the small of her back, keeping her from falling off the bed. He nuzzled his nose in her hair, taking in her scent. “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner.” He voice was low and gentle against her ear.

She shook her head gently, “I’m glad you are here now.” Her voice was weak, like she hadn’t spoken in weeks. Fenris realized she probably hadn't, this made him clutch her tighter to his chest.

Fenris gently stroked her hair in a soothing manner, “What do you wish of me?” He offered, not really knowing what to do in these types of situations. He was usually not allowed the time to grieve, and it was not common for any of his companions of suffer such a blow as this.

Hawke was quiet for a minute, then she gently planted a kiss on his jaw line. Her lips were as soft as he remembered. “Stay with me.” She requested in a broken whisper.

He nodded, and he did stay with her. It wasn’t long before she was nodding off to sleep. Fenris tucked her back into bed, and he took his place beside her. Fenris did not sleep, he simply watched Hawke deep in her slumber. His eyes took in the beautiful aspects of her face, happy to see her at peace. Fenris made a silent vow to protect her at all costs, he would never see her in such pain again. With that, he let sleep take ahold of him, content at where he was.   **  
**


End file.
